I didnt say it was worst or better than other GPU releases, i have only stated that GTX680 in the egg were all sold out.
Both AMDs and NVIDIAs 28nm products have low availability right now.
The only thing keeping HD7970 in stock is the higher price
The availability of GTX680 is no worse or better than most GPU launches the last many years...try searching the forum...buisness as usual.
Should be 429. Worse power draw, no better than equal, worse at multi-GPU Eyefinity despite the extra VRAM, no CUDA/PhysX, no GPU Boost, no Adaptive Vsync, no way to get Eyefinity without displayport, no Bezel Peek, and no EVGA lifetime warranty.
I usually never post on this sub-forum (only read) but seriously, your posts are annoying. Anyway, to stay on topic, I am waiting for the rest of Nvidia's line-up and I'll get rid of my GTX260. So I pray for the price cuts to come.
But right before NVIDIAs momentous launch party, something odd happened. After weeks of limited to no availability, AMDs board partners suddenly and some would say mysteriously- received large shipments of the Tahiti GPUs they were previously begging for. As a result, the HD 7970 is actually available these days while the GTX 680 consistently sells out in a matter of moments wherever stock can be found.
Among the other possibilities is one that was widely discussed when NVIDIA first introduced Fermi: they just cant afford to cut the HD 7970s price. Due to its size and complexity, the Tahiti core is an expensive piece of silicon and availability didnt improve until a few weeks ago, leaving sales volume well short of where it should have been.
Standing firm with the HD 7970 saves the rest of their lineup from becoming sacrificial lambs and that makes perfect sense from a business standpoint. Plus, the $549 price wont stick around forever and is largely dependent on NVIDIAs next move.
But has this strategy paid off? Through a few well placed sources in the retail chain we hear that backorder queues for the GTX 680 are filling up faster than AMD can sell HD 7900-series cards. At this rate it wouldnt be surprising to see some retailers shift certain GTX 680 versions to not available status until the massive backlog clears. If that happens, AMDs strategy may actually start paying dividends, especially considering the HD 7970, HD 7870 and HD 7850 are selling like gangbusters.
I actually feel bad for anyone who spends 550 on a 7970 now
Honestly, a person whose rationale is along the lines of "oh well, the $500 card is unavailable right now, let's pay more for something that's not better!" gets no sympathy from me.
People should remember this, I know AnandTech is comprised primarily of US folks but here the cheapest 680 is $135 MORE than the cheapest 7970.Only in America, the rest of the world has 680 at about the same price as the 7970 or it is more expensive
I think a better question would be. Is there even a game worthy of such an expensive card.
Waiting for that graphics leap we experienced with Crysis.....I don't see it.
Everyone says this because they are stuck on a single monitor of 1920x 1200 or less resolution. Step up to multiple monitors or to a larger resolution and every game requires a beefy set of graphics cards to run with max settings.
tl;dr: If you cannot tell why you would need these cards.. they are not marketed for you.
I love you too. I'm amused that you singled me out rather than certain other forumers considering that I never misinform, troll, or flamebait. Sorry if you don't like my pointing out that GTX 680 has a clean sweep over the 7970 and reiterating my opinion of where AMD cards ought to be priced in consideration of that. You are entitled to your own opinion, but I wouldn't mind if you went back to lurking, permanently.
Oh don't get me wrong, I didn't mean to single you out. I have noticed the same thing happen with other members. But I see it more often from you. And yes, I will keep lurking and loling at fanboy posts. Thanks for your informative post.